NEWS BRIEFSAt AbilityMaine we are developing a special page for events, committee meetings, board meetings, etc. that are of interest to people with disabilities. The calendar link will still be on our site, but this special page will be specifically for disability related meetings and events. If you have items to add to this page, if you are a committee member who can provide dates for your meetings,or if you are planning an event, send items to Mainefun40@hotmail.com with CALENDAR in the subject line. We're always looking for news and information at Abilitymaine. If you have items you think we can use, send them to Mainefun40@hotmail.com with NEWS in the subject line. NewsBriefs Conferences, resources, award nomination opportunities, and much more in this issue of News Briefs. It’s a big one, keep on scrolling…. BLAINE HOUSE CONFERENCE ON AGING Two hundred delegates will meet September 21 at the Augusta Civic Center to consider and vote on various resolutions related to senior action. There will be workshops, speakers and other activities. The purpose is to identify and bring statewide attention and action on key aging issues. You can also call 1-877- ELDERS1 for more information
FOR ARTICLES ABOUT THE CONFERENCE NYAPRS 24th Annual Conference NYAPRS is a statewide coalition of people who use and/or provide recovery-oriented community based services. We value difference and promote cultural competence in all aspects of our work. NYAPRS is dedicated to improving services and social conditions for people with psychiatric disabilities or diagnoses and those with trauma-related conditions by promoting their recovery, rehabilitation and rights so that all people can participate freely in the opportunities of society. NYAPRS 2006 Conference Access Expo: save the date! Saturday, October 7, 10-3, Radisson Hotel in Manchester. Find out about the latest in assistive technology and other programs and services designed to increase your access to the things you want to do. More: http://www.gsil.org/accessexpo.php Recruitment Announcement: NCD Youth Advisory Committee Seeks Four Members The Youth Advisory Committee (YAC) for the National Council on Disability (NCD) announces the opening of a nationwide search for four new members. One of the positions is reserved specifically for high school students. NCD is an independent federal agency, headed by 15 Council Members appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate. The collective responsibility of NCD is to make recommendations to the President and Congress on issues affecting all Americans with disabilities. NCD's overall purpose is to promote policies, programs, practices, and procedures that guarantee equal opportunity for all individuals with disabilities, regardless of the nature or severity of the disability; and to support the empowerment of individuals with disabilities to achieve economic self-sufficiency, independent living, and inclusion and integration into all aspects of society. The YAC, a 12 member advisory committee with applicant ages from 16-25 encourages youth across disability sectors, diverse racial and ethnic groups, and under-represented areas of the country to apply. Application documents must be received through E-mail by September 14, 2006 at 5:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time. The application consists of (1) your resume, (2) your cover letter pointing out what makes you the best candidate for a position of national level leadership as a representative of youth with disabilities, and (3) one letter of recommendation from an adult who is familiar with your leadership and disability experiences and potential. A recommendation by someone who is not your parent/guardian is requested. A brief daytime telephone interview with you may also be needed for a selected list of finalists among the top applicants. Please send only electronic documents (use e-mail only) to be considered as a YAC applicant during this recruitment period. E-mail your resume, your cover letter, and one letter of recommendation to: YOUTH@ncd.gov Attn:Dr. Gerrie Hawkins Designated Federal Official Youth Advisory Committee National Council on Disability Youth@ncd.gov Please do not send your application to any other address, if you wish it reviewed for this recruitment period. The YAC ensures that NCD's policy recommendations and activities give consideration to the perspectives of young people with disabilities. Meetings are planned and conducted through teleconference arrangements under NCD’s budget. If a face-to-face meeting occurs travel and lodging are assumed by the agency for active members of the committee, in accordance with federal guidelines. To read more about the YAC, see the brochure (attached as WORD and Text only) and feel free to check out the NCD Website at: http://www.ncd.gov/ If you have questions, please contact youth leaders Gina Semenza (YAC Chair outgoing) or Stephanie Orlando (YAC incoming Chair) at YOUTH@ncd.gov We look forward to receiving your application documents at: YOUTH@ncd.gov . . . by September 14, 2006 at 5:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time. Exercise, Healthy and Accessible You are invited to visit Pam Mackie's ExerSCIzing blog at http://rrtc-sci.livejournal.com/ * Because exercise benefits both physical and mental well-being. * Because people everywhere struggle to make exercise a priority and living with a Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) may limit the realm of possible exercise activities. * Because secondary conditions in individuals with Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) may be diminished with exercise. ExerSCIzing provides daily online updates regarding one woman's great effort in maintaining a healthy lifestyle, integrating exercise, and managing secondary conditions as a person with SCI. ExerSCIzing author, Pam Mackie, lives with C6/7 tetraplegia and has been using a wheelchair for mobility since 1987. ExerSCIzing has proved Ms. Mackie an outlet to share information regarding SCI secondary conditions, exercise, and general health through personal stories. With a commitment to healthy living, Ms. Mackie shares with readers her everyday triumphs and struggles. Informative and inspiring, ExerSCIzing uncovers the realities of maintaining a fit daily life as an individual with SCI. Sample excerpts from ExerSCIzing have been provided below: "I have actively sought information and means to continue ExerSCIzing even though I'm unable to move parts of my body. I am determined to not let barriers stop me from experiencing the best health and quality of life I can." -Pam Mackie "I look forward to reading your journal every day. You have
motivated me to renew my life. Thank you." For more information about the benefits of exercise and SCI, please visit our website at http://www.ilru.org/html/projects/SCI/index.htm Study: Children with disabilities more likely to live with women CHAPEL HILL - Children with disabilities are more likely than other youngsters to live with single mothers or other female caretakers, says a new study by a sociologist at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The study by Dr. Philip Cohen, associate professor of sociology in UNC's College of Arts and Sciences, was published in the Friday (July 14) issue of the Journal of Marriage and Family. Miruna Petrescu-Prahova, a doctoral student at the University of California, Irvine, and a former student of Cohen's, assisted in the research. The two analyzed 2000 U.S. Census figures, which listed data for about 2.3 million children aged 5 to 15. Among them, more than 130,000 were reported to have mental and/or physical disabilities. More detail at http://www.unc.edu/~pnc/pubs.html Seminar: Quiet Cars On Saturday, November 5, 2006, the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) will host a day-long conference on the issue of quiet cars and pedestrian safety. The conference will be held at NFB headquarters, 1800 Johnson Street, Baltimore, MD 21230. We in the NFB have become increasingly concerned that hybrid, electric, and other extremely quiet vehicles pose a safety hazard to pedestrians and cyclists. When a moving vehicle is out of their line of sight, cyclists and pedestrians are often alerted to its approach by the sound it emits. When a vehicle is virtually silent, it can catch pedestrians and cyclists unaware. This hazard is of particular concern to blind pedestrians, who rely on the sound of vehicles in order to travel safely and independently. We applaud the development of environmentally friendly technologies in the automotive industry. However, we feel strongly that the safety of pedestrians and cyclists must be considered. It is our conviction that vehicles must be designed to emit an inoffensive but clearly audible sound as a necessary safety precaution. Quiet cars comprise only a tiny fraction of the vehicles on the road today. The problem of pedestrian safety is just beginning to come to the attention of the public. Now is the time to plan and to act. The conference on quiet cars will examine the extent and nature of the problem and open discussion about possible solutions. We hope to bring together interested persons with a variety of viewpoints - engineers and policymakers in the automotive field, researchers in the area of alternative fuels, representatives from cyclist and pedestrian advocacy groups, leaders in the blind community, and representatives from the insurance industry. Your suggestions of individuals or organizations who might contribute are most welcome. Please join us for a day of brainstorming. Bring your questions, your concerns, your ideas, and your expertise. As this is a working conference in which everyone will participate, there is no registration fee. A $25 donation for lunch and snacks is requested. We'll look forward to hearing from you. For feedback and information contactDebbie Stein Committee on Automobiles and Pedestrian Safety National Federation of The Blind 773-631-1093 A Social Security Resource Life in a Cube: Problems Experienced by Employees with Cognitive Impairments Children's Mental Health Psychiatric Advance Directives ILRU of Houston houses the Disability Law Resource Project, which has for some time produced twice-monthly video presentations on various disability law matters. Archives, with transcripts and related handouts, are here: http://www.ilru.org/html/training/webcasts/archive/index.html A good source for customized local tv listings, with free registration required to build your own personal "tv guide" is titan tv http://www.titantv.com. New EEOC fact sheet on accommodating Deaf employees College for students with learning disabilities AT&T Foundation Gives $1 Million for Technology Access (Bizjournals.com,NC) Surgeon General Offers Consumer Guide for Americans with Disabilities (WWAY NewsChannel 3, NC) Adaptive Daily Living Skills Tapes: Enrichment Audio Resource Services (E.A.R.S.) is a non-profit organization that provides free audio tapes that teach adaptive daily living skills to people with vision loss. The lessons are modeled after current blind rehabilitation techniques and provide instruction on performing tasks such as the laundry, dialing a phone, personal grooming and moving about safely. Visit http://www.earsforeyes.org or call (800) 843-6816. 2007 Henry B. Betts Award - Nominations Due October 7, 2006 AAPD is now accepting nominations for the 2007 HENRY B. BETTS AWARD. The Henry B. Betts Award program, administered by AAPD, was created by the Prince Charitable Trusts and the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago in 1989 to annually honor individuals who have, in the course of their work, helped to lead the societal transformation that is producing dramatically better outcomes and higher expectations for the diverse groups that make up the disability community in the United States and around the world. Typically, one outstanding living individual is selected each year to receive The Henry B. Betts Award with an unrestricted $50,000 cash award at AAPDs annual Leadership Gala in Washington, D.C. To nominate an individual: http://www.aapd.com. Call: 1-800-840-8844 (v/tty) Email: aapdbetts@aol.com 2007 Paul G. Hearne/AAPD Leadership Award Application AAPD is now soliciting applications for the 2007 Paul G. Hearne/AAPD Leadership Awards. The Paul G. Hearne/AAPD Leadership Awards program was established to identify and support emerging leaders with disabilities who will carry on the disability rights movement. Administered by AAPD and sponsored by the Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation, the 2007 Paul G. Hearne/AAPD Leadership Awards identifies up to two emerging leaders with disabilities to each receive $10,000 to help them continue their progress as leaders. These individuals will also have an opportunity to meet and network with national disability leaders at the annual AAPD Leadership Gala in Washington, DC in the spring. To learn more and to apply: http://www.aapd.com Leadership Awards program: Call: 800-840-8844 (v/tty) Email: aapdhearne@aol.com |